Education in the RP: a broken system that needs fixing

photo archives

Hi all,

This election season, you’ll hear a lot of candidates talk about how important education is. It is true, too. Quality education allows young people from poor families to succeed in society and provide a better, more equitable future. Many candidates will also say that they’ll place great emphasis on education. Pero palagi nalang eh. If all who had promised this had done so – starting with our current president – we’d have a first-rate education system already. But just look at the statistics today!

If there are 100 pupils who enter grade school in the Philippines:
- at least 30 of those are underweight during their elementary years;
- only 65 complete grade school; while only 23 gain reading comprehension;
- only 43 eventually finish high school.

The problem doesn’t stop there. Upon graduating high school…
- only 3 achieve the required mastery in English.
- only 1 achieves the required mastery in Science.
- only 7 achieve the required mastery in Math.

The temptation for us candidates is to continue mouthing the usual platitudes without being serious about it. This is going to be disastrous for the country. So let’s move beyond the platitudes. Let’s take a good hard look at our system and ask ourselves what do these numbers mean? To me, they show how the government is investing so little in basic education. Did you know that we’re only spending 2% of our GDP on such an important aspect of our country when the global norm is twice that? Specifically, the numbers tell me that:

1. We’re using an inappropriate medium of instruction for a child’s early years;
2. The poor health of the student affects the drop-out rate early on.
3. The poor quality/performance of teachers needs to be seriously addressed.
4. We have an incomplete and inadequate curriculum in both elementary and high school.
5. The enforcement of educational quality by state universities and colleges is sub-par.
6. Those outside the formal system lack options to succeed.

We’ve invested a lot of time in researching the issues and talking to stakeholders. As a result, we’ve drafted a Omnibus Education Bill that proposes to solve these problems comprehensively by implementing the following actions:

Use of the mother tongue as a mode of instruction in the early years of elementary schooling. There is a broad consensus in educational research that competency in the core subjects (English, Science and Math) which are crucial for communication and competition are best achieved if taught in the mother tongue. This should not be confused with giving up English. Proficiency in English is absolutely essential, period. But it’s not needed as a medium of instruction when the subject is math or science. In fact, such misapplication is harmful.

We have to help children overcome their health problems that actually hinder them from attending/completing their education. The school feeding program is an important element, but we have to ensure that it provides a healthy and balanced diet. Instead, our children have been force-fed overpriced noodles. There has been no worse indictment of our neglect of education than this scam at the expense of our children. And, tellingly, no one has had to face any consequences. This has got to change.

Improving the quality and performance of our teachers is the single most influential factor in determining how well schools perform and students learn. The bill proposes pre-service training, licensure examination, in-service updating, and management training for principals and school heads.

Improving  the curriculum for elementary and high school entails (a) having compulsory pre-school education, (b) making high school more relevant, and (c) increasing the total number of “basic years” our children spend in school.

  1. Compulsory preschool should address critical readiness for children entering Grade 1.
  2. High school should be designed for two kinds of students: those who want to immediately work after graduating and those who want to pursue higher education. The bill establishes this two-track curriculum giving a much desired option for our high school graduates.
  3. Elite private school children receive 11 years. The global norm is 12. Did you know that the Philippines is the only country in Asia, and one of the three remaining countries in the world, to have only 10 years of basic education?  We can’t expect to cram, in 10 years, what our more advanced neighbors go through in 12 and still expect good results.

Forcing quality into the SUC sector can be done by making government funding dependent on two things: performance and student population rather than just on the latter. This allows us to shut down programs in SUCs which aren’t performing very well in PRC exams.

For those who have less access to formal education, more funding/access to alternative learning systems would be appropriate.

As a basic right, each child should have access to quality education. This is the best way for us to catch up with our neighbors that have long made wise and huge investments in their own educational systems. But we have to start with the basics. So this is what we commit to do. The bill has already been filed and I ask your support in making this proposed solution a reality. If you have thoughts about this, I would love to hear them.  Thanks!

M.

Share this
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • raulnnorbe
    Creativity as a subject should be taught in school especially in the elementary grades starting from Grade 4 to Grade 6. I do believe, Filipinos are more creative than other Aseans. Creativity is in our blood Filipinos.
  • Nyanya
    Go Mar Roxas :) can't wait when youre the actual president
  • Achilles
    Textbooks, textbooks, textbooks, who is looking into all the 'typos' in a lot of textbooks, specially those used by our pre-schoolers and early scchoolers.
  • Yeye
    As for the 'typos,' it really is the responsibility of the teachers and the school administration to make sure children's reading materials are of good quality.
  • Yeye
    I dare to disagree with you on this, Achilles. Perhaps, the problem is not the "textbooks" but the way books are introduced and integrated into a child's learning.

    If you go to the States, and other highly-developed countries, you'll find that many people, in their spare time, on their way to work, during their rides on public transportation vehicles, all read books to enrich their minds. This is how children should learn to love reading books, they are there for the good of everyone. Knowledge is power, remember that.
  • noraizapdipatuan
    Mr.Mar Roxas gusto ko pong humingi ng tolung gusto ko po talagang makatapos ng pag aaral sana po ay sponsoran niyo po ako sa aking pag aaral kamamatay lang po ng aking ama at pito kaming magkakapatid at ang ina ko po ay isang labandera lamang ang kanyang kita ay para lang sa aming pagkain sana po ay matulongan niyo po ako sa aking mga pangarap ako po ay taga GENERAL SANTOS CITY salamat po
  • Lourdes Co
    Hi:

    Maraming succesful stories na umasenso ang isang tao. Ikaw ang una sa lahat gagawa ng kapalaran mo. Pwede ka mag apply ng scholarship. Kung tage Ge4nsan ka, alamin mo sa lugar nyo ang mga free education, or mag working student. ang may kilala ako working student sa night shift at ng aaral umaga. Nag work sya bilang student assistant sa registrars office, part time. Also ng work din sya as messenger until natapos nya ang college degree ng electrical engineerinbg. Sa tiyaga nagkaroon sya ng magandang work. Now, isa na sya EDP manager, or electronic data processing manager. marami pa. sana maging inspiration ito sayo.
  • Lourdes Dayrit Co
    I agree with this educational reform suggestions. However, i didnt able to read possible actions or suggestion or soultions to uplift the technical vocational education. Isn't that techvoc education is one among the top lists of occupations source. But how can we encourage our high school graduates to take vocational or technical course, while it has a "low standard image"? Until the government didnt push a law to uplift the current status of techvoc education, there will always have a overcrowding of graduates in college courses. I suggest to your excellency a substantial Bill that can transform techvoc courses into professional level comparable to college courses where they can enjoy high social status and not inferior image.

    Much have been doing to uplift the basic education, secondary and tertiary but being neglected the techvoc education. I wish there is one like you to author the long been dream to realized the professionalization of techvoc education.

    With high regards to your excellent views. Mabuhay.

    Yours truly,
    Lourdes Dayrit Co
    Teacher, Tony Galvez School of Cosmetology, Inc.
  • jaypaxginete
    I have been teaching (full-time and part-time) for 10 years and recognizing the problem and its context is the first step in finding a solution (or if you what to be P.C. about it, solutions). I think Mr. Roxas got it right. But I would like to make a point.

    An invest in Information Technology education; The world is going IT and students without basic IT skills will be marginalized in this new society. And when I say IT skills, I don't mean just how to use the mouse or turn on a computer but more productive skills like Word Processing, Spreadsheets, basic PC troubleshooting or using the Internet. It's all well and good that a Filipino can speak English but he is seriously, seriously screwed if he can't type up a document and then print or email it.
  • Andie
    Hi Mr. Roxas,

    What do you think of dramatically increasing our public school teachers' salaries, as an incentive for improved performance and/or better-qualified applicants? Are you for or against this? How can it be operationalized?

    I understand you have both limited space here and time for addressing individual comments/suggestions, so your response need not be terribly long. Thank you very much.
blog comments powered by Disqus